US teachers give math class in Hangzhou school

Nine American math teachers from the state of Indiana are visiting Hangzhou this week. Two of them taught a class at a primary school in Gongshu District yesterday, Qianjiang Evening News reported.

The two American teachers known as Laura and Cynthia taught solid figures to a class of first-graders while a Chinese teacher taught another class on the same subject.

In the end, students from the Chinese teacher’s class outperformed those taught by the American teachers in three mini games.

“The result doesn’t mean the Chinese way of teaching is better because the two classes have different emphasis and the games were designed more in favor the Chinese teacher,” said Feng Yansheng, an education official of Gongshu District.

“The American teachers sent us their teaching plan only this morning and we found the content was very different. But it was too late to change the rules of games,” Feng said.

“Elementary education in the US puts much emphasis on creative thinking while Chinese teachers put a lot of work in textbook preparation but neglect student creativity,” said Wang Yifang, the headmaster of Maiyuqiao Primary School where the American teachers held a class.

The nine American teachers will compile math teaching materials for trial use in schools across the State of Indiana after their study tour in China, the report said.

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